


More Than Blood (That Makes Us Family)

by Detective4



Series: Fate Would Have Us Find Each Other (Dead or Alive) [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Biting, Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Community College, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Ghouls, Grocery Shopping, Hair Dyeing, Haircuts, Half-Vampires, Human Neil Josten, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Living Together, M/M, Mystical Creatures, Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Platonic Cuddling, Possessive Behavior, Protective Andrew Minyard, Protective Kevin Day, Scenting, Sexual Content, Sirens, Smut, Supernatural Elements, Vampire Andrew Minyard, Vampires, Were-Creatures, Werewolf Kevin Day, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 12:22:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30089043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Detective4/pseuds/Detective4
Summary: “If you guys couldnotswitch languages as soon as I enter the room like I’m some child of divorced bilingual parents, that’d be appreciated,” Kevin was unraveling the cord from the vacuum, searching for an empty outlet.Neil rolled his eyes, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted to hear us discuss our sex lives in a language you understand.”“That’s not what you-” Kevin’s face flushed up to the tips of his ears. He growled frustratedly and turned the vacuum on, the loud rumble covering up any more conversation attempts.--Andrew had a steady supply of blood, Neil was out of the cold, and both were happily out of danger for the time being. Taking in a stray hunted werewolf was about as good of an idea as it sounded.
Relationships: Allison Reynolds & Renee Walker (All For The Game), Kevin Day & Neil Josten & Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, can be read as kandreil
Series: Fate Would Have Us Find Each Other (Dead or Alive) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2163666
Comments: 48
Kudos: 209





	More Than Blood (That Makes Us Family)

**Author's Note:**

> Why did this take a month.
> 
> Thank you so much for waiting!!!!
> 
> Only one part left now, enjoy!!!

Most couples, once they feel comfortable enough in their relationship, take a next step. That step could be moving in together. It could be getting married. It could be adopting a pet.

Neil and Andrew? They adopted a wolf.

Neil brought his bowl of popcorn to the living room and set it on the coffee table. He was halfway to sitting down when he caught sight of the couch. He groaned loudly, “Kevin!”

He heard a door close from the hallway and Kevin appeared around the corner, drying his hair with a white towel. His green eyes flickered with irritation from being called for from across the apartment, “What?”

“You have _got_ to stop shifting and getting on all the furniture,” Neil gestured towards the formerly black couch, now covered in grey and white fur, to prove his point, “You fit just as well on the couch in human form.”

“What about when I get cold? I’m not going to get up from the couch to hunt for a blanket, when I can just shift.”

Neil wasn’t privy to the exact circumstances that led to Kevin moving in with them, but he guessed it had something to do with the fresh bruises lining his neck and the red scratches visible on his bare forearms. Andrew had just brought him home from work one night like a stray dog with no explanation and Kevin had certainly made himself at home. 

Andrew entered the living room in the middle of their argument, already eating out of his pint of ice cream. He stopped in front of the couch, looking at the covered surface like one would inspect an intriguing, but ultimately boring specimen at a museum. Then he turned to Kevin, face distinctly uninterested. He simply uttered, “Vacuum.”

Kevin grumbled the whole way, but he went to retrieve the vacuum from the hallway closet. Neil turned a thankful smile on Andrew, leaning in halfway for a kiss. Andrew’s free hand curled around the back of his neck, pulling him the rest of the way in. It was chaste and quick, but Neil could swear his stomach still flipped every time their lips touched. 

Neil sat on the edge of the coffee table carefully, grabbing a handful of popcorn, “Why is he here anyway?”

“On this earth? I ask myself that every day.”

Neil threw a piece of popcorn at him. Andrew caught it in one hand. Neil shoved the rest of the handful in his mouth and spoke around it, “In our apartment. Did something happen?”

He watched as Andrew crumpled the piece of popcorn in his hand and proceeded to sprinkle the crumbs on the couch. Guess Kevin was vacuuming anyways. 

“Trouble in paradise.”

“Meaning?”

Andrew dusted his hand off on his dark jeans, “Wolves are pack animals. Lone wolves make people antsy.”

“Antsy how?”

“Lone wolves are more likely to go feral without a pack to ground them. They also make easy targets without the protection of numbers, so some people take matters into their own hands.”

“Humans or other wolves?”

“Both.”

They paused as Kevin reentered the room, lugging the vacuum behind him.

Neil switched to German, a language he discovered they both knew, thanks to a couple awkward conversations Nicky tried to make behind his back, “So he’s here for protection, then?”

Andrew shrugged, “Until we can find him a pack to take him in.”

“If you guys could _not_ switch languages as soon as I enter the room like I’m some child of divorced bilingual parents, that’d be appreciated,” Kevin was unraveling the cord from the vacuum, searching for an empty outlet.

Neil rolled his eyes, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted to hear us discuss our sex lives in a language you understand.”

“That’s not what you-” Kevin’s face flushed up to the tips of his ears. He growled frustratedly and turned the vacuum on, the loud rumble covering up any more conversation attempts. 

\--

Kevin was a newly turned wolf. Neil discovered that this meant his wolf instincts were very high and his common sense was very low.

The traditional way for werewolves to be turned if they weren’t born wolves, was through forming close bonds first. The humans were essentially already part of a pack when they made the decision to become one with them. That way, they had a support system in place and deep knowledge of what they were getting themselves into. Kevin, however, had shown up at his father’s house with a gaping bite mark in his shoulder one night and hardly any explanation. He was bitten against his will by a wolf who he either didn’t know or was clearly on bad terms with. 

Neil peeled the top off the tupperware container of leftovers and opened the microwave. His hand paused, however, when a low growl sounded from behind him. He glanced back to find Kevin looking over his shoulder, “Yes?”

Kevin growled again, pressing closer, “That’s mine.”

Neil rolled his eyes, “There’s two other containers of this exact thing in the fridge. I’m just eating one of-”

Neil cut himself off with a flinch as Kevin snapped his teeth frightening close to Neil’s throat, “ _Mine.”_

Neil wobbled a bit where he stood, feeling suddenly dizzy. He moved, almost on instinct to hand the container over to Kevin, when Andrew’s voice cut through the tension that had been slowly filling the room, “Put it in the microwave.”

Neil froze, blinking at his hand and then up at Andrew. Kevin whirled around, rumbles in his chest growing louder. Andrew stared back at Kevin evenly. Neil swallowed and moved to follow Andrew’s directions, mind whirring with what the _fuck_ was going on. 

Kevin saw Neil’s hand moving and lunged forward to grab at his wrist. Neil felt like he barely blinked before Andrew was between them, fangs bared, posture defensive. He watched partly in confusion, partly in curiosity, and a bigger part in discomfort as Kevin showed off his teeth and snarled, only to be met with a low hiss from Andrew’s side.

Kevin made the mistake of snapping his teeth at Andrew and Kevin was on the ground within seconds, Andrew’s knee pinning his arms behind his back and hand pressing into the back of Kevin’s neck, grinding his cheek into the kitchen tiles. Andrew’s teeth glinted near Kevin’s throat, and Kevin’s body went limp in surrender. He whined lowly and tilted his head to the side, bizarrely exposing his neck further to Andrew’s fangs. Andrew stayed pressed close for a minute longer, just enough for Kevin to feel the scrape of his fangs on his throat, before pulling away and letting him up.

Kevin stood up shakily, brushing off his clothes as he looked anywhere but at the two of them.

“You done being an idiot?” Andrew reached over Neil’s shoulder to start the microwave, Neil still staring between them in shock. 

“Sorry,” Kevin mumbled, rubbing the side of his neck where Andrew’s mouth had threatened just moments ago, “I think I’ll-...I’m gonna go for a run.”

Kevin practically ran out the door while Neil looked after him in bewilderment. He turned back to Andrew when the front door shut, “What was _that?”_

Andrew opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of apple juice, “Don’t let him get away with that shit. He needs to get himself under control.”

“So that was some wolf thing? Being so territorial?”

Andrew nodded, grabbing a glass from the cupboard, “It’s not always a bad thing, but he shouldn’t be doing that with us. He wasn’t going to let up until he got what he wanted or someone _made_ him let up.”

Neil supposed that explained the seemingly extreme leap Andrew made from standing between them to pinning Kevin to the ground. It was one thing to adopt a wolf and have him shedding on furniture and eating your food, it was another to have to actively _train_ said wolf as well. Neil wondered how hard it was to find packs willing to take lone wolves in.

\--

Neil looked up from his newly purchased laptop as his door was nudged open. He had saved up money for this beast because of his new ambition to join the community college in this area. He had a steady income and a home, and he felt like it was time to do a little more than simply survive. He was fluent in three languages and passable in quite a few others and he figured becoming a translator would be an easy place to start. He was wrong.

It was not the language part that was difficult, but all the other classes required for a degree. The only other class he enjoyed was his math one, but that would only be helpful if he became a math teacher in France. He had, however, been granted a full ride scholarship due to his proficiency and “special circumstances”. Meaning he was making around $5,000 a year and they were surprised he was alive. 

A weight jumped on his bed suddenly and Neil was startled from his thoughts when a furry snout settled on his thigh. He glanced down to find big green eyes staring up at his. Neil sighed, “Hey, Kevin.”

The wolf huffed and nudged his leg. Neil ran a hand down the soft fur on his head, “You know, you’re a lot more likable in this form. Even if you do shed.”

Kevin sneezed irritably and glared at him. Neil laughed. 

“You know, I was just researching you guys. Wolves, I mean,” Neil adjusted the laptop on his legs, “I doubt anything real would come up if I tried to search actual werewolves.”

Kevin lifted up his head slightly to prompt Neil’s hand to keep petting him. Neil obliged. They spent some time like that, Neil trailing his fingers through thick fur while he scrolled through articles, pdfs, and Wikipedia pages. He tried anything he could think of, looking for things he could use to relate to Kevin better, to understand him. 

Maybe twenty minutes in, he found something interesting while researching pack dynamics, “What about this, huh? Alphas, Betas, and Omegas...Is that a thing? Which one are you?”

Kevin sneezed again and tucked his snout under Neil’s knee.

“Hm? You’re pretty big…” Neil ran a hand over the length of dark fur laying beside him, “Maybe you’d be an Alpha? All big and in charge, right?”

Kevin rumbled from his spot hiding under Neil’s leg and abruptly sat up. He shifted so suddenly that Neil was looking at a big puppy one moment, and a very naked human the next. 

“Oh my God,” Neil’s hand flew up to cover his eyes.

“Of course I’m not an Alpha. I’m not even in a pack,” Kevin’s voice grumbled.

“Okay, okay, just-...Put something on.”

Kevin’s nose twitched and his head whipped to the partly open door. Neil followed his gaze and landed on Andrew, seemingly paused from where he was passing by. Andrew raised his eyebrow, and Neil realized the sort of position he was in, in bed with a completely bare werewolf, “Uhm…”

“I’m headed to work,” Andrew continued on from the doorway, heading out to the front door, “Have fun.”

Neil felt color rush up to his cheeks and continue to his ears as he tried to splutter out a response, but the sound of the front door shutting cut off his attempts. He turned to glare at Kevin, “Thanks, now my boyfriend thinks I’m cheating on him.”

Kevin scoffed, grabbing a pillow and placing it on his lap to appease Neil, “No, he doesn’t. You’re being dramatic.”

“You could at least give me a warning before you shift!”

“Like what? ‘Bark twice if you’re gonna shift, three times if you just want attention, so I have time to cover my eyes’?”

“Whatever, just...So you said you’re not an Alpha. What am I reading about then?”

Kevin leaned closer to Neil to look at the screen and Neil was closer than he’d ever wanted to be with Kevin’s nipple. Kevin hummed, “You’re reading about pack dynamics, right? I’m not a part of one yet, so this is all moot.”

Neil squinted at the screen again, “Really? So you don’t know what you are until you actually join?”

“Well, yeah. Chances are, I’ll be a Beta. The pack will already have a decided leadership, and there’s no way I’ll be an Omega,” Kevin sounded disdainful of the very idea.

“So do the Alpha’s get decided by strength?”

“Not...Really?” Kevin tilted his head as he considered, then lowered it to rest on Neil’s, “Packs are traditionally headed by a mated pair of Alpha’s and the pack consists of family. I think there’s newer ones popping up more recently that are groups of close friends and such, but there’s usually no reason to fight over power.”

Neil hummed thoughtfully, “You’ve been studying too, huh?”

“Well, I have to ask around, since I have no one to teach me.”

“We’ll find a pack to teach you,” Neil assured, resting a hand lightly on Kevin’s forearm, “It’s normally a member of a pack that turns you, right?”

Kevin nodded, chin ruffling Neil’s light hair.

“Who turned you?”

Kevin stilled. 

Neil stared at his keyboard, tracing his fingers over the keys lightly, “So you knew them…”

Kevin was silent for a few moments longer, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” Neil shrugged, “But please, go put some clothes on.”

\--

It had been two months since the attack, and Neil found himself settling into life with Andrew surprisingly well. He wasn’t looking over his shoulder quite so much and college was giving him a nice structure to keep him occupied. He was starting to feel...Comfortable. So that might’ve been why, when a classmate pointed out his roots starting to grow in, he didn’t freak like he might have a couple of months ago. 

“You gonna touch up that blond, or go back to natural?” 

Neil pulled a piece of his bangs lightly between his thumb and forefinger, going a bit cross-eyed to evaluate it, “I wasn’t going to do anything to it.”

The blonde woman, Allison, as she had introduced herself, looked aghast at the very notion, “But it’s ugly.”

“Allison,” A woman walked up the steps of the classroom to meet them, her tone chiding. 

“What? I’m not saying _he’s_ ugly, but he could be gorgeous if I got my hands on him.”

With a start, Neil recognized the second woman. He took in her rainbow-tipped hair and lithe stature and placed her in that gym, sitting next to Andrew. He wondered how they knew each other. He wondered if she was human. 

“Please excuse her bluntness,” The white-haired woman smiled gently, “I’m Renee.”

“Neil,” Neil shook her outstretched hand and almost wrenched it away immediately from how starkly _freezing_ it was. He glanced down at his hand, half expecting to see it start to turn blue, but it was the same pale, scarred knuckles he’d been looking at all winter. Andrew was a _vampire_ and he wasn’t as cold as this. Andrew’s skin felt warm, heated from the inside out with borrowed life-blood flowing through him. Renee’s hand felt like a cold wind blowing through a graveyard, something not dead itself, but filled with it. 

Her calm smile only off-put him more as she removed her hand from his, “Cold? I apologize, I don’t have the best circulation.”

“So? What are you thinking?” Long fingernails combed through his hair, sharp ends tickling his scalp, “Looks like a deep auburn you got here...That would suit your eyes a lot better than this blond.”

“Uh...I’m not sure,” He stepped away from her without much subtlety.

“Well, we’ll just figure it out when we get there then,” Allison put a hand on his back and started leading him towards the door of the classroom.

“Hold on,” Neil dug his heels in, her hand surprisingly firm, “Where?”

“My salon,” She stated this fact like it should have been obvious.

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m just going to dye it at home-”

“Nonsense! It needs a cut too,” She eyed the bangs dangling in his eyes critically, “And don’t tell me you’re gonna do that at home too. With what, your kitchen scissors?”

That would be exactly what he would do, but he assumed she wouldn’t be pleased to hear that.

“It’s on me, you don’t have to worry about money. It’s good practice!” Allison started ushering them out the door again.

Neil glanced at the clock at the front of the class. He had over an hour before Andrew got home. And assuming that Kevin wasn’t tearing up the furniture, there was no reason to be back before then…

His gaze slid to Renee’s and found her eyes already on him. He still had a weird feeling about her. An uncertainty that bubbled in the back of his mind, borne of extended close contact with other dangerous beings, human or otherwise. Still, she seemed to be friends with Andrew, and if Andrew trusted her, there wasn’t a glaring reason not to either. He would just keep his wits about him and an eye out for her. 

\--

Allison ran her fingers through Neil’s newly dark red strands, his punishment for saying “I don’t care” when asked about his preference. She fiddled with the part, pushing it this way and that, fussing about the smallest details that Neil was positive wouldn’t make a difference. The back of his head was shaved closer than he’d had it before, with the sides cropped and the top left thick and curly. 

“Now we can see those eyes,” Allison reached a hand down to trace a bright pink nail under his right eye.

Neil had been avoiding making eye contact in the mirror with himself, so he wouldn’t know.

“You look good enough to eat,” Allison grinned, hands landing on his shoulders, fingers picking at his baggy hoodie, “If only you were wearing some real clothes.”

Neil’s pocket buzzed, indicating a text message. He pulled out his phone if only to save himself from having to respond to the odd comments.

**Andrew:**  
_Where are you_

Neil thumbed across the keyboard, still getting used to the layout of the new smartphone.

**Neil:**  
_classmate took me to get my hair cut_

**Andrew:**  
_You went_

**Neil:**  
_yes? she owns the salon, it’s free._

Andrew’s little speech bubble popped up and down a few times, either typing a long paragraph or rethinking what he was writing quite a lot. 

**Andrew:**  
_Who is it_

**Neil:**  
_i think you know one of them. their names are allison and renee._

His last message showed a ‘Read' receipt under it, but Andrew’s speech bubble didn’t pop up again. Neil shrugged and stuffed his phone back in his jeans, watching as Allison cleaned up her work station. A chair creaked behind him, and he spun slightly in his chair to watch Renee stand up, holding a phone to her ear. She smiled pleasantly as she greeted whoever was on the other line and walked out the salon doors to continue the call.

“Neil,”

Neil turned to look at Allison as she crooked a casual finger his way, gaze not even on him. He stood up, confused, “Yeah?”

“There’s a product I want to try on your hair, but I have to get some more from the back,” She glanced over her shoulder at him once he got closer, narrowly avoiding swinging her bright blonde hair in his face, “Come with me.”

Neil let her lead him to the same back room she had disappeared to to mix up the dye for his hair. He wouldn’t say he enjoyed her hand wrapped around his forearm, but he felt relaxed with her, like there was nothing to worry about.

Which was very unlike him.

They passed the threshold of the door, and Neil grimaced as her nails on his arm dug in painfully, “Can you...Let go?”

Allison kicked the door shut behind them, “Oh, being a little rough, aren’t I? Sorry about that, just right over this way.”

Allison tugged on his arm, not loosening her grip in the slightest. He stalled for a moment, but when she turned back to see what was holding him up, his hesitation vanished. He had never noticed her eyes being such a striking blue before. They were so bright, speckled with green, and glittering with excitement. His feet moved of their own accord as she brought him towards the back of the room...Actually, did she turn the lights on? It seemed really dark back here. But it didn’t matter because her _eyes._ They shone in the blackness and he couldn’t look away-

The breath was punched out of him as his back slammed against the wall, pain erupting in his neck when Allison surged forward, the view of her eyes gone, hand tight on his arm, nails digging in-

Light flooded the room, causing Neil to wince as the darkness was invaded so violently.

“Allison! He’s Andrew’s!”

Allison jerked abruptly away from his throat, and Neil’s foggy eyes caught a glimpse of her mouth. Sharpened teeth dripping with blood, lips stained red, “ _What?”_

Allison let go of Neil so suddenly that he had to brace himself against the wall to keep himself upright. She spun around to face Renee, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. 

“He just called me. That’s the human he’s hired,” Renee sounded apologetic.

“ _Fuck,”_ Allison ran a hand through her hair, pacing away from Neil quickly, as if trying to create distance between them, “He’s gonna kill me.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Renee stepped forward to lay a comforting hand on Allison’s shoulder, “It was a mistake. I’ll talk with him.”

A warm liquid dripped onto Neil’s shirt, and he realized belatedly that the blood on Allison’s mouth had come from him. He pressed a hand against the wound and breathed in sharply at the slice of pain that tore through him at the contact. The noise drew their attention back to him.

“Andrew’s coming to pick you up, okay?” Renee’s tone somehow gentled even farther, as if trying to calm a frightened animal, “I’m really sorry about this.”

Neil shook his head, mind still stuck going in circles about what had happened, “Are you...You guys are vampires?”

“Fuck no,” Allison scoffed, her voice still shaky, but trying to make up for it in disdain, “I don’t waste any part of my food, unlike those bloodsuckers.”

“Allison is a siren and I’m a ghoul. We weren’t aware you were already claimed by Andrew when we brought you here,” Renee explained more precisely.

“You were going to kill me?” Not like it was anything new, but...The fact that he had walked right into it so easily agitated him, made him anxious. Maybe he was getting too complacent. If it weren’t for Andrew’s word, he’d be dead already. Sliced into thousands of pieces, only this time with teeth instead of knives.

“Hey, a girl’s gotta eat. It was nothing personal.” Allison shrugged.

“Why don’t you come out here? We’ll get you bandaged up.”

Neil moved to follow Renee’s instructions hesitantly, but thought of something else on the way, “Why did you...My hair?”

It was clearly a way to lure him in, but if that was the only case, Allison wouldn’t have bothered to waste time and products on him if she was just going to eat him. 

“It really was for practice, your cut was a fun one to do,” Allison attempted a grin, but she still looked horribly bothered, “Besides, I prefer to play with my food. I wasn’t going to eat someone who looked as sloppy as you. No offense.”

Neil looked to the salon door as it was opened roughly, a familiar figure appearing. Neil felt tension bleed out of him that he wasn’t even aware he was holding, “Andrew.”

Andrew’s eyes flickered down Neil’s form systematically, catching on his neck. Then his eyes locked on Allison and he stalked to stand in front of Neil. Neil watched as Renee moved immediately to put herself between Allison and Andrew.

“Andrew,” Renee nodded in greeting, “I stopped her as soon as I could.”

“You clearly weren’t fast enough,” Neil had never heard that kind of tone from Andrew before. He didn’t exactly know how to place it. He was angry, eyes slitted and jaw tight, but that wasn’t all there was to it. It was similar to his tone when Neil had come back from Illinois, but there were key differences. 

“He’s not like he’s dead,” Allison spoke up.

Andrew’s heavy gaze turned on her, and Neil could practically see her skin clam up. He spoke to Renee without relieving Allison of his stare, “You better get this bitch out of my sight, before I _make_ her disappear.”

“Andrew,” Renee’s voice broke through, “She didn’t-”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Renee nodded like the vampire in front of her hadn’t just dropped his fangs and threatened a person, “Allison.”

Allison seemed to be a very prideful person, but even she didn’t take the risk. She strode from the room with her head held high, heels clicking on the floor, and shut the door of the break room behind her. 

Renee addressed Andrew again when the click of the door signaled Allison’s departure, “It was an honest mistake.”

“This is on you.”

“It is. But, Andrew...He’s not even marked.”

“I don’t own him.” Andrew’s voice was firm.

“I’m not saying you do,” Neil didn’t know whether to be impressed or disconcerted with how steady and calm Renee kept herself during the entire exchange, “But if you don’t mark him, with _something_ , someone else will.”

Andrew’s eyes bored into hers for a minute longer, before he turned back towards the door, “You won’t be hunting on college grounds anymore.”

“That’s fair,” Renee nodded, “It won’t happen again.”

When Andrew and Neil were both sat safely in Andrew’s dark car, Andrew reached over to hover a hand over Neil’s wrist. Neil was still pressing his hand against the wound, blood seeping between his fingers, and he realized he probably left a trail of red behind him at the salon. 

“Yes,” Neil whispered.

Andrew’s calloused fingers closed around his wrist and removed Neil’s hand from his throat. He leaned across the center console, bringing his mouth to Neil’s neck, and Neil shivered as warmth enveloped the bite. Andrew licked over the wound thoroughly before leaning back, leaving a pleasant buzz on Neil’s skin. 

“Thank you,” Neil murmured, reaching up to brush his fingers over the already closing bite. 

“Your haircut worth it?” Andrew’s jaw was back to it’s clenched state and Neil felt awful that he had caused that.

“I’m sorry,” Neil tangled his fingers together as Andrew started the car and headed for home, “I recognized Renee from that picture, so I thought it would be fine. Are all your friends supernatural?”

“Why would I spar with a human?”

Neil supposed that was a logical assumption he could have made before leaving with the women. It was too late now. All he knew was that the adrenaline from almost being killed was crashing down on him and his red hair felt like a beacon.

“What...What did Renee mean by marked?”

Andrew’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, “Vampires will often give their humans something to keep on their person that lets other supernaturals know they’re taken. Usually tattoos or jewelry, but I’ve seen collars and intricate scars.”

Neil swallowed, his thumb running over the burns on his knuckles.

“I’m not going to treat you like a pet.”

“But if it’ll make it so you don’t have to keep worrying-”

“I can keep you safe without owning you,” Andrew’s words were final.

Neil nodded slowly. 

And that was that.

\--

The first thing he was met with when they opened the door to the apartment was loud whines and large paws on his shoulders. He almost fell backwards from the force of it, but Andrew steadied him with a hand on his back. Kevin whined again and Neil looked down at him only to find his face full of fur. 

“Kevin, what are you doing?”

Kevin ignored his questioning and instead, started lapping at the hastily formed scabs on his neck. 

“Wh-” Neil looked towards Andrew for help, but he was already heading down the hallway to his room. Neil pushed at the wolf’s large head, but he pressed forward insistently. This time, without the support of Andrew at his back, he did topple to the floor. 

Kevin used his newfound position to crawl farther over Neil’s body and continue his assault on the side of his throat, still making that high-pitched sound in the back of his throat. Neil groaned at the impact of the fall, hands moving from Kevin’s head to his sides, gripping at the fur there softly, “Kevin. Hey, I’m fine.”

Kevin rumbled in disagreement, but he stopped licking at his neck, opting to nuzzle his face into the wound instead. Neil sighed, petting his back gently, “I’m sorry that I worried you.”

Kevin huffed against his throat. His ears perked up suddenly, twitching as a door opened and shut in the hallway. Kevin’s stance above him turned defensive and he bristled, growling low in his throat. He crouched lower, covering Neil’s body with his own as footsteps sounded.

“Hey,” Neil ran a hand down his back, smoothing down Kevin’s raised hackles as he frowned in confusion, “It’s just Andrew.”

Andrew spotted Kevin’s position as he left the hallway to head to the kitchen. He didn’t look surprised, “He’s not going to leave you alone tonight.”

“What do you mean?” Neil asked, just as Kevin puffed out a breath as if to say _That’s right._

Andrew just looked pointedly between them, before entering the kitchen.

Andrew had been right.

The rest of the night, Kevin followed him like a shadow. When he would sit, Kevin would curl up next to him, when he laid down, Kevin laid on top of him, nose buried in his neck. He even waited just outside the bathroom door every time Neil went in. 

Neil decided to go to bed a little early, his head feeling oddly heavy. He chalked it up to blood loss and the stress of the day. He did speak up, however, when Kevin followed him into his bedroom. 

He sat cross-legged on his bed in running shorts and a baggy t-shirt, staring at the wolf stepping slowly into his room as if Neil wouldn’t notice him entering if he was quiet enough, “Kevin.”

The wolf paused.

Neil sighed, running a hand through his hair tiredly, “You have the couch.”

Kevin sneezed in refusal, trotting fully into the room and jumping onto the bed easily. Neil steadied himself on the mattress as the whole bed frame shook. He looked on at Kevin in dismay, “You’re gonna get fur all over my sheets.”

Kevin barked quietly, settling down to lay against Neil’s side and staring up at him pointedly. Neil realized that his choices were between wolf hair on his blankets or a naked Kevin sharing his space again. He groaned and laid down fully, tugging the blanket out from underneath Kevin to pull it over himself. Kevin settled his huge head on Neil’s abdomen, closing his eyes in content.

“Don’t expect this to happen again.”

Kevin huffed, nuzzling his face further into Neil’s stomach.

\--

The next morning brought the scent of freshly cooked eggs and bacon to his nose and he sat up in interest. Andrew never made breakfast, not even for himself. He usually had a morning meal of coffee and cigarettes, leaving Neil to fend for himself in the kitchen. Neil didn’t mind, he was just happy there was food in the kitchen at all, considering he was living with a creature that didn’t need to eat it. 

He padded out to the kitchen to investigate, still clad in his pajamas and bedhead. Newly awakened eyes discovered a, thankfully, fully dressed Kevin among the pans and spatulas, one plate already occupied with an omelet. He stepped up next to the stove to look at what Kevin was working on currently.

“Good morning,” Kevin glanced down at him, flipping over the bacon to brown the other side.

“Morning,” Neil nodded, gaze still fixed on the food, “Can I have some?”

“Of course,” Kevin plated the second omelet, “I made it for you.”

Neil rubbed his eye, eyebrows furrowed, “Why?”

Kevin looked incredulous, “Because you’re injured.”

“My hands work just fine,” Neil shrugged, grabbing one of the plates and stealing some slices of bacon from the pan with his fingers, “But thank you.”

Kevin smiled slightly in acknowledgement, hesitated, then leaned down to trace his nose against the bite mark. Neil paused in confusion, the action reminiscent of Kevin’s wolf form’s actions the night before. Kevin finished, rubbed his cheek up Neil’s neck once, then pulled away. Afterwards, his smile was much more solid, and he started plating the rest of the bacon. 

A sudden wave of dizziness caused Neil to grip the counter beside him to steady himself. Then it was gone as soon as it came. He shook his head lightly and brought his plate to the kitchen island. 

After he had finished his meal and Kevin had insisted on taking his dishes to wash, a knock came at the door. Neil glanced at it cautiously. In the months he’d been living here, the only person who’d ever visited was Nicky, and he always made sure to tell them he was coming ahead of time. Neil wasn’t made aware that they were having guests today, and that usually didn’t signal anything good.

Kevin bristled as well, abandoning the dishes to stalk out to the kitchen doorway. Andrew reemerged from the balcony with wind-mussed hair and an empty coffee mug, heading towards the front door. He noticed Kevin’s defensive stance and rolled his eyes, handing his coffee mug to him on the way past, “Stay.”

That didn’t sound very reassuring. Though maybe he was just keeping Kevin from scaring off whoever was here. Neil inched forward to stand beside Kevin for a better view of the door, a bit surprised when Kevin actually listened to the command.

Andrew swung open the door and the person behind it marched right past him and into the apartment, impatient, “Took you long enough.”

Neil blinked as his vision was filled with blond hair and Aaron strode towards them like he’d been here a million times before, despite no evidence of that being the case. In his hands were two cloth grocery bags and Neil stepped back into the kitchen to give him room to pass once it became clear he was heading that way. Kevin, however, didn’t have the same qualms. 

Kevin stood his ground and growled, baring his teeth and...Aaron walked right past him. Into the kitchen, not batting an eye, like this was an everyday occurrence. Kevin’s rumbling stuttered for a moment in shock, before he spun around to face Aaron again. He snarled, getting up in Aaron’s space as the shorter man opened the fridge and started loading what was in the bag into it. 

Aaron’s eyes remained on his work as he spoke placatingly, “Yes, yes, I know. You’re the big strong wolf, I’m in your home, I understand. You’ve gotten acquainted with living here quite quickly to be so territorial.”

Kevin faltered again, before trying the move he had used on Neil before. Aaron didn’t even flinch when Kevin’s jaws snapped next to his neck, but he did turn to look at him, eyes narrowed, “Calm down, asshole. Do you even see what I’m doing?”

Kevin paused and looked over Aaron’s shoulder into the fridge. His stance loosened.

“That’s right,” Aaron continued unpacking the contents, “I’ve brought blood bags for your Alpha, right? No need to be so brash.”

“Blood bags?” _Alpha?_ Neil followed them to the refrigerator at that, first taking the mug from Kevin’s hands and setting it on the counter before he forgot he was holding it and dropped it, or worse, used it as a weapon. He leans forward to look between them and, sure enough, there are blood bags now filling the shelves. Real food shoved aside to make room for vampire food. 

“That’s what I said,'' Aaron closed the fridge and stepped away. He folded up one of the bags, now empty, “I heard a certain human-shaped blood bag got injured, so I brought compensation.”

“I’m not his Alpha,” Andrew interrupted, now leaning against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over a broad chest, “He’s only living here temporarily.”

Aaron looked between the three of them dubiously and answered slowly, “Uh-huh.”

“I’m practically healed already, we don’t need those,” Neil cut in, “And where did you even get them anyway?”

“While I appreciate your unprofessional and uneducated advice, your opinion is duly noted and discarded,” Aaron leaned his hips back against the counter beside the fridge, “If you must know, I work as an LPN. I can sneak some things now and then. Including,”

Aaron crooked a finger at Kevin and Kevin padded over to him obediently. Neil turned to look at Andrew as Aaron reached into his other bag for something, “That blood is gonna expire before it’s ever used.”

Andrew raised a single eyebrow at him, “It won’t.”

“Doesn’t blood expire after like forty days or something? With you feeding from me every week, I don’t see when-”

“I won’t be feeding from you until you’re fully healed again,” Andrew’s words were final.

Neil was never good with finalities, “Wha-”

“It’s always good to have stuff for emergencies too,” Aaron spoke up from where he was half hidden behind Kevin’s larger frame. He turned Kevin around by the shoulders, revealed two white patches pasted on either side of Kevin’s neck. Aaron stepped to the side and made a bland little ‘ta-da’ gesture towards the patches, “You’re welcome.”

Neil looked at him confused, “He wasn’t injured…?”

Aaron sighed as if this conversation was taking an enormous toll on him. He stepped in front of Kevin and gestured for him to lower his head, which he did. Aaron lifted his hands to Kevin’s face and started inspecting his eyes. He spoke while he worked, “They’re pheromone patches. I got them from a co-worker who has a friend who has a friend who’s a werewolf.”

Neil glanced back at Andrew to see if he understood, but Andrew’s eyebrows were pulled together just slightly, enough for Neil to tell he was questioning why they would need these patches as well. 

Aaron finished his eye examination and moved on to Kevin’s ears, taking their silence for the obvious confusion it was, “You guys are impossible. Andrew, you smell it, right? This place _reeks.”_

“I don’t see why it calls for you installing him with air fresheners.”

Aaron groaned in frustration, “That’s not-...Listen,”

He turned away from Kevin to look Neil in the eye, “Your head’s been feeling heavy lately, you’ve been getting dizzy, and getting headaches more and more often.”

Neil’s head reeled from the sudden onslaught of what seemed like random guesses that were somehow completely spot on, “How-?”

Andrew’s gaze cut to him sharply at the confirmation, eyes narrowing.

“Kevin’s a new wolf, yes?” Aaron’s hands came to his hips, “So he doesn’t have good control over his natural instincts yet, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. One of those instincts include spreading his scent around in _potent_ quantities.”

Aaron turned back to Kevin and promptly stuck his fingers in Kevin’s mouth to inspect his teeth. Kevin nipped at him in surprise and irritation and Aaron only glared back, “What are you gonna do, bite my fingers off? Stop acting like a pup.”

Kevin merely huffed around his fingers and stilled.

“Anyways, although humans are unable to _smell_ pheromones, their bodies still react to them. And human bodies aren’t equipped to handle the amount that he’s been emitting unintentionally lately,” Aaron removed his fingers from Kevin’s mouth and moved to the sink to wash his hands, “It’s kind of a wonder you haven’t passed out yet.”

Neil recalled the bouts of dizziness he’d get when Kevin would rub his face into him or emote strongly and it all started to come together. It made sense in a way, but it still was hard to comprehend how something he couldn’t sense could affect him so strongly. He didn’t like how little control he had over it.

Aaron dried his hands on the kitchen towel and refolded it neatly, “Alright, shift. Let me check out your wolf form.”

Kevin immediately bristled, “Fuck you.”

Aaron only shrugged and headed to the doorway, “Worth a shot. It’s not every day you get a chance to do a physical examination of a werewolf.”

He grabbed up his empty shopping bag and left the full one on the counter, patting Kevin’s shoulder on the way past, “Wear your patches. They’re your training wheels until you can figure out control. See you.”

Then as quickly as he had barged into the apartment, he was gone.

Neil ran a hand through his hair, heaving out a breath. Then, he walked over to Kevin and reached up a hand to brush fingers against the pheromone patches, “You warmed up to him quickly, huh?”

Kevin’s face warmed, “I-..He smelled like Andrew, it’s-..It doesn’t matter.”

The patches were smooth and thick, stuck on just like large bandages, “What did he mean about Andrew being your Alpha?”

Kevin froze. His eyes darted between Neil and Andrew quickly, “Nothing. He just...He misread the situation.”

Kevin pulled away from Neil’s hands and grabbed up the extra patches, hurriedly exiting the room. Neil turned to Andrew, confused at the sudden exit, and found Andrew’s eyes already on him.

Andrew stood up from the door-frame, “Didn’t think to mention dizzy spells and sudden headaches?”

“I didn’t know Kevin was causing them.”

“Right,” Andrew almost scoffed, “That’s the only reason I’d want to know.”

“You didn’t tell me you weren’t feeding from me this week,” Neil argued.

“It was implied. Plus, you didn’t ask.”

“You didn’t ask either.”

Andrew stared at him hard for that, before turning and leaving the room, heading down the hall to the bathroom. Neil knew his limits, he didn’t know why Andrew needed to know all these things. The injury and the light-headedness weren’t life-threatening, he’d let Andrew know if they were. Well...If he couldn’t deal with it himself. Neil waited until he heard the shower cut on before going in that direction as well to reach his bedroom. 

Movement in the corner of his eye prompted him to stop at the open door of Andrew’s bedroom. A glimpse inside awarded him with the view of Kevin shamelessly rolling around on the sheets, pheromone patches tossed haphazardly on the floor. Neil stepped foot into the room and was immediately hit with a wall of dizziness. He steadied himself on the doorframe and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, Kevin was sitting up and looking at him guiltily.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“Uh…” Kevin rubbed the side of his neck, gaze cast off to the side, “It’s uhm...It’s a thing. A wolf thing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Did Andrew give you permission to be in here?” Neil crossed his arms once the dizziness had finally faded.

“Well...No,” Kevin rubbed his hands together anxiously.

“Then get the fuck out.”

‘But-” Kevin stood up, “I want-...I need him to smell...Like me…”

Neil paused, “What?”

“You know how I kinda...Rub my nose or cheek on you?” Kevin looked hesitant, nervous. Like he was afraid of rejection.

Neil nodded slowly. He had never stopped to consider _why_ Kevin did that.

“It’s called scenting. You do it with-...It doesn’t matter,” Kevin cut himself off, “I can’t help it. I know Andrew doesn’t like to be touched, so I’ve been trying to think of different ways to do it…”

Neil breathed slowly out through his nose, trying to take in and accept these new details he kept learning. Since when did living with mythical creatures get so _difficult?_ “Then you find a way to do it _with his permission.”_

Kevin nodded quickly, looking back at Neil hopefully, “I will.”

“Okay,” Neil looked pointedly at the floor below them, “And aren’t you supposed to be wearing those?”

Kevin looked at the patches and looked halfway to complaining before begrudgingly picking them up.

\--

Neil shivered as Andrew’s lips trailed down his abdomen, pausing to suck a bruise into his hip. His back arched off the bed when sharp fangs slid enticingly into the sensitive skin of his inner thigh, causing his legs to tremble and a moan to escape his lips. 

_"Andrew.”_

Andrew pulled blood from his veins like it was an art form, Neil’s body responding to his tongue’s call like it was made for this. His blood spilling over the punctures as if it was only produced to be given away. A wonderful heat tingled up from the bite, licking up his spine and spreading a foggy haze over his eyes. His dick twitched and his toes curled and _fuck._ He would never grow tired of this feeling.

A thick mixture of saliva and blood served as a helpful lubricant when Andrew’s tongue circled Neil’s rim and _pushed._ Neil gasped and canted his hips back, the hot muscle stretching him in a way he never knew it _could._ Neil’s fingers gripped the sheets beside him tightly as Andrew’s tongue swirled and thrusted and did other unspeakable things inside him that made his length strain further against his stomach and spread precum everywhere. 

“ _Fuck,_ ‘drew, I-”

Andrew suddenly leaned back over Neil’s body, leaving Neil trembling underneath him, feeling abruptly cold and empty. His eyes met Andrew’s questioningly, before Andrew’s lips were hovering over his, a question of their own. Warmth flowed back into him as he arched his neck to connect their mouths, a strange combination of tastes greeting him. He found he didn’t mind, because heat swam along skin and through his blood, leaving his lower regions only aching and throbbing for _more._

Real lube was procured for that objective, and Neil was sure he’d be thankful later; However, right now, he was impatient. It didn’t need to be warmed up, he was hot enough. He just had Andrew’s tongue, he was stretched enough. Yes, as much as he loved Andrew’s fingers, right now, he wanted something a lot _bigger._ Andrew was not one to be deterred though, so Neil was forced to endure almost cumming, not once, but _twice,_ on Andrew’s fingers alone, which was why he had wanted to just _get to it._ What did Andrew expect when he was brushing his fingers against and teasing Neil’s prostate over and over again with his stupidly handsome knuckles?

Neil could have cried in relief when he felt the head of Andrew’s cock pushing at his thoroughly loosened hole like a knight come to save him. The prince spread his legs wider to allow his hero access to his tower, crying out when his walls were finally breached and he was set free. 

Hooking his ankles over Andrew’s toned shoulders, Neil pulled him close as they rocked into each other, trying to muffle his, admittedly pretty loud, moans in Andrew’s warm neck. 

Their orgasms were punctuated by teeth digging into skin again, the side of Neil’s throat taking the brunt of the attack. Andrew didn’t stop at just fangs this time though, opting to press flatter teeth into moldable flesh as well. There was something so freeing and mobilizing about letting such a dangerous part of Andrew pierce such a vulnerable part of him. It set his heart racing and the heat from the bite combined with the sparks of the orgasm whited out his vision for a few seconds as he rode out his high, panting. 

He settled into Andrew’s arms as his whole body quivered and flushed skin vibrated with oversensitive nerves. Andrew slowly closed up his wound with his tongue, making Neil shiver as the muscle dipped into deep indents left by dull human teeth. 

“That’s quite a mark, huh?” Neil noted shakily, tilting his head farther to the left as Andrew made himself comfortable tucking his face against Neil’s neck. Neil understood then, that it was a compromise. A temporary mark to compensate for the absence of a permanent one. 

Andrew just hummed non-committedly and sunk against him, eyes already closed. Neil huffed and tugged the comforter over the both of them. 

The front door shut and Neil’s eyes snapped open from where they’d been drooping sleepily shut. He craned his neck a bit to meet eyes with Andrew, but Andrew’s eyes were still closed, posture still relaxed.

“Kevin going out for a run?” Neil questioned cautiously.

Andrew shrugged.

Neil glanced at the clock beside their bed. It was kind of late…”God…” Neil slumped back against the pillows, “I’m still not used to living with a third person. It’s weird not to be alarmed when you’re right here with me and the door opens.”

Andrew rubbed his side placatingly, clear that he understood, but obvious that he himself was not worried. 

“It’s not safe for him to be out this late, with everything going on, right?” Neil didn’t know the details, but he _was_ surprised Andrew wasn’t concerned about this, “I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow.”

\--

“You can _what?”_

“Listen, it’s not that big a deal-”

"It’s not a big deal that you can _smell_ sex pheromones and they can bother you so much you have to leave the house in the middle of the _night?”_

Kevin rubbed a hand through his hair, bright green eyes framed by dark eye-bags staring off to the side uncomfortably, “I’ll work on it.”

Neil sighed, unsatisfied with the answer, but backing off a bit, “You know you have a target on your back, right? It’s hard, I know, but you have to lay low for a little while.”

Kevin nodded, head down.

Neil noticed Kevin’s neck then, “And why aren’t you wearing your patches?”

Kevin grimaced a bit, like a kid caught doing something they shouldn’t, “I...don’t like them.”

“What do you mean you ‘don’t like them’?”

“They feel weird,” Kevin shrugged, “They’re itchy and they make me feel...I don’t know...congested?”

“Kevin,” Neil groaned, “It’s not really an option.”

“What about you?” Kevin asked abruptly. He elaborated when Neil furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “Your neck isn’t exactly covered either.”

Neil was suddenly reminded of the purple teeth marks pressed neatly into his skin. He tugged at the collar of his grey t-shirt self-consciously, pulling it back up over his shoulder where it had fallen down. It did nothing to cover it, the mark too high up. His face colored when Kevin’s self-righteous smirk returned to his face, claiming its rightful place from the uncomfortable grimace. 

“Did you know you were so loud I could hear you through my earbuds?”

“I am _not_ talking about this with you,” Neil had never left a room quicker. Except maybe to escape an occasional bullet.

\--

Neil woke with a pounding headache. He put a hand to his forehead, regretting opening his eyes this morning. Then he moved on. Popped some painkillers, made some coffee, and thought about how the fuck he was going to cover the bite mark Andrew left on him. Yes, the purpose of a vampire’s mark was to be seen, but Neil didn’t think his human classmates and professors would be so understanding. 

“Will you wear this?”

Neil was leaning against the kitchen counter when his eyes cut over to the source of the voice. He found Kevin standing in front of Andrew, holding out his hoodie like an offering. Kevin’s neck was bare again, a sight that was becoming increasingly common. Andrew was seated on the couch with his own cup of coffee and the eyebrow he raised was almost dubious. 

“Fuck no.”

“Pl-,” Kevin stopped himself, then thought for a minute, stumped. He tried again, “I would like it if you did.”

Neil was all the sudden reminded of Kevin's promise to scent Andrew _with_ his permission and knowledge. He didn’t know why Kevin thought Andrew would agree to this, but he definitely wouldn’t have put it past Kevin to try.

“Very sorry for your loss.”

Neil could sense Kevin getting frustrated and he wanted to step in before it turned into an argument; However, Kevin’s suggestion gave Neil an idea, “Hey, Kev, actually. Do you still have that black turtleneck?”

Kevin’s gaze turned on him and his stare was confused, though, whether it was because he didn’t know _which_ shirt he was talking about or because he didn’t _own_ one like that at all was anybody’s guess. Neil didn’t pay attention. He elaborated accordingly, “The one that came too small, but you still tried to wear anyways and ended up looking like you were wearing children’s clothes?”

Kevin’s face flushed upon the reminder, and he frowned “What of it?”

“Can I wear it today?”

Kevin visibly brightened at the question, completely forgetting about his conversation with Andrew in favor rushing to Neil’s room to look in his side of the closet for the wanted item. He was back with the turtleneck in a flash, immediately trying to play it cool again despite handing it to Neil like it was something precious, “Yeah, I guess, just don’t get it dirty.”

Neil shot a fond smile at Andrew around Kevin’s shoulder, while Andrew only rolled his eyes at Kevin’s behavior. Neil took the shirt with care and turned his smile on Kevin, “Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”

\--

He was not back soon enough, it seemed. 

His head still felt heavy all through classes, and he was prone to bouts of dizziness when he stood up, so he walked back instead of running like usual. When he got back to their building, Kevin was already out in the hallway. And he wasn’t alone.

“It’s _our_ apartment, we can do what we’d like!”

“You’re not the only people in this building. People are trying to eat or sleep, for fuck’s sake, not everyone needs to hear how good your dick tastes!”

Kevin was not the one who threw the first punch, but he definitely was not shy about following up. Neil’s eyes widened and he hurried his steps to their door, to the fight unfolding in front of him, “What’s going on?”

Both the men ignored him, too absorbed in each other. Neil grit his teeth and moved to step between them, “Hey, you two-”

A hand grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back, causing him to stumble over his own feet. He caught himself on the man in front of him and looked up to find bright green eyes fixed on his.

_"Don’t,”_ Kevin snarled, sharp canines flashing. He turned back to the guy in front of them, “This man doesn’t know how to respect others’ territory.”

The man scoffed, “ _Territory?_ What a load of bullshit. Apparently you don’t know how to invest in noise-cancelling headphones.”

Kevin growled low in his throat before pushing Neil further behind him. Neil’s head really fucking _hurt,_ and they were _yelling,_ and Kevin was going in for another punch and Neil was just _so sick of this shit-_

He was so sure he made the steps to put himself between the two men again, but all of the sudden, his knees gave out and he stumbled, feeling his body crumple against something solid. His vision swirled and his body _burned_ as he slid down what felt like the wall to sit haphazardly on the floor. The last thing he heard before the world went black was Andrew’s deep voice, dark with anger,

“What the fuck did you do?”

\--

“When is Aaron getting here?”

“He’s not coming. It’ll wear off soon now that you’re wearing your patches like you’re fucking supposed to.”

“I _said_ I was sorry, I didn’t know it was getting that bad-”

A cool drop of water slid into Neil’s hair, trailing down his neck, swirling its way into the collar of his t-shirt. He traced its path in his mind, and then finally registered the cloth lying over his forehead. It soothed his hot skin like a breeze in the desert and gave him the strength to blink his eyes open. His gaze met hazel instantly, brown and green swirling together in a mesmerizing arrangement, bordering on gold in the sunlight of early morning. His body relaxed instinctively into the mattress at the familiar sight, “Hey.”

“What are you feeling?”

Neil smiled sleepily, closing his eyes again briefly to catalogue his condition. Andrew didn’t ask _how_ are you feeling, a clever avoidance of Neil’s signature ‘fine’ response, “I’m a little warm, pretty tired, but nothing hurts.”

Andrew leaned back where he was perched on the window sill, nodding as he ran his eyes down Neil in confirmation. Then, he stood, leaving the room with purpose. Neil sat up as he watched him go, settling himself against the pillows and setting the cloth on the bedside table. He looked to where Kevin was sitting on the end of the bed, gaze flickering nervously between the floor and Neil and back again.

“Kevin, what happened?”

That refocused Kevin’s eyes quickly, “What? You don’t know?”

“No, I mean-...Of course I know. I meant, why did I pass out?” Neil rubbed at his eyes, yawning, “You didn’t hit me or anything.”

“No, but-” Kevin looked at him desperately, “Do you know how _pissed_ Andrew is at me right now?”

Neil furrowed his eyebrows, Kevin only leaning in further.

“He’s gonna practically _gorilla glue_ these patches to me until I learn to control myself, Neil. This isn’t fair! Why is your puny human body so weak?”

Neil immediately bristled at the insult, “What the fuck?”

Kevin groaned, running a hand through his dark hair, “You passed out because of my pheromones. I was angry, not wearing my patches, _and_ you were wearing my shirt. Plus you’re weak.”

Neil rolled his eyes at Kevin’s add-in at the end, his maturity level astounding, “So, what I’m hearing is, your lack of self-control equals my weakness? Wait…Why didn’t the other guy pass out too?”

Kevin scoffed, “He was far from human. Likely a succubus, if I had to guess.” 

“Huh,” Neil said, far from the point where he was shocked by these revelations, “Well.”

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up carefully, wary of any lingering dizziness. When he was firmly settled on his feet, he stepped over to Kevin and patted the side of his neck, right where one of the pheromone patches was pasted, “Better get working on that control sooner rather than later, huh?”

Time to see if Andrew had found it in his heart to make breakfast.

\--

You’d be surprised how much food goes in a week when you’re living with a wolf. Neil groaned when he opened the fridge only to find it was, once again, empty, “We _just_ got groceries, Kev. Are you hitting a growth spurt or something?”

Kevin looked up from where he was hunched over his laptop, revealing a stick of beef jerky halfway stuffed in his mouth. He chewed in pointed silence. Neil breathed out slowly through his nose and nodded to himself. He grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch and headed over to the hallway to knock on Andrew’s door.

“What?” Answered Andrew’s gruff voice from the other side.

Neil pushed it open slightly, leaning on the door-frame, “Can I take your car? Kevin ate all the food.”

To his surprise, Andrew set down his book and stood up at the words, stretching his arms above him. Neil’s eyes traveled down of their own accord to catch a glimpse of pale skin before Andrew lowered his arms again, “I’ll drive you.”

Neil’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, “You don’t have to, I’m gonna make Kevin come with me to carry bags anyways.”

Andrew just nudged past Neil in the small space between the door and the frame, “I’ll drop you off. I need to meet with someone anyways.”

Neil turned to watch Andrew’s back as he turned the corner to head to the front door, thinking over his words. Meeting with someone? He could just be talking about Nicky, or someone from work, but it made Neil nervous nonetheless. 

Kevin entered Neil’s room across the hall and Neil took the chance to call out, “Grab a jacket while you’re in there, we’re going shopping.”

He heard Kevin’s groan through the door and rolled his eyes, but the taller man emerged in a sleek dark jacket regardless. Also, without his patches on. Neil clenched his jaw and stepped up closer to him, brushing his fingers along where they should have been placed, “Kevin…”

“Neil, listen,” Kevin met his eyes, his gaze unwavering.

“No, Kevin, _you_ listen. This has gone on for too long. I thought you had finally gotten it through your head when it blew up in your face last week,” Neil was honestly _beyond_ exasperated at this point, “It doesn’t matter how uncomfortable it is, control comes _first._ Do you want Andrew to pull a _knife_ on you this time?”

“Neil.”

_“What?”_

“I can control it.”

Neil stilled.

Kevin sighed quietly, “Please. Just...let me show you.”

Neil bit the inside of his cheek, thinking. He took in a breath. Then he glanced around the corner of the hallway, towards the front door, where Andrew was tying his boots. Then back at Kevin. He breathed out, “Okay. Make it quick.”

Kevin’s eyes brightened. He nodded. He took another step closer to Neil, hands coming up to frame his biceps lightly. He leaned down, brushed his nose along Neil’s throat, hummed lowly, rubbed his cheek up from Neil’s shoulder to jaw, then backed away. Neil waited for the onslaught of dizziness, the sudden headache, the blurry vision...But nothing came. He felt...fine. 

He looked up to find Kevin’s concerned face watched him, “Okay?”

Neil nodded in affirmation, “Okay.”

Kevin smiled proudly, eyes excited, “I made it so I didn’t give off any scent at all, but after more practice, I’m sure I can make it so I give off only a little. That way I can still scent you, but it won’t overwhelm you. Then I-”

“Your limited time offer of a ride is about to expire,” Andrew’s voice called from the door.

Neil gave Kevin a reassuring look, then headed for the door, “I didn’t ask for a ride.”

“And I didn’t ask for a runaway and a wolf, but life’s unfair. Get in the car.”

Neil’s shoes were already on and hand already on the doorknob when Kevin must’ve appeared behind him. Andrew tapped his neck and observed, “Forgetting something?”

Kevin straightened, as if to give himself courage, “I don’t need them anymore. I can control it now.”

Andrew’s response was unimpressed, “Is that right?”

Neil raised two fingers, “Confirmed by the one it affected.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes. Was silent for a moment. Then hummed, “Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all, huh?”

“I mean, comparably, Kevin’s more like a puppy.”

“It’s an idiom, Josten.”

“Actually, it’s arguably more of a parable, based on the fact of-” 

“Car. Before I change my mind, Day.”

\--

“You gentlemen need any help with your groceries?”

Neil looked skeptically up at the guy approaching their trunk, scanning him. Light brown hair, plain clothes, defined jaw with a hint of a five o’clock shadow. He definitely didn’t work at the store. So, what he was doing approaching the three of them in the parking lot was beyond Neil. 

“We’ve got it, thanks.”

“You sure? I don’t mind. Those look pretty heavy-”

The man must have taken a step too close, because Kevin stepped between them then. He wasn’t growling yet, and Neil was impressed with his control, but it was far from subtle. The man’s attention moved to the car and the open driver’s window, letting out a lazy trail of smoke. He took the hint and moved on from the two of them.

“This is a _nice_ car, man. What year is it?” The guy smoothed his hand along the shiny side as he made his way to the window, no doubt leaving greasy smudges behind, then leaned down to make eye contact with Andrew. And eye contact did Andrew make. 

The man managed a few more seconds of silence before laughing a little awkwardly, trying to pass it off as charming, “Straight to the point, huh?”

Neil had just finished loading the bags into the trunk when he realized Kevin was not beside him anymore.

“You’ve got a pretty nice three-way going on here,” The guy grinned flirtatiously, Adam’s apple jutting out sharply, “I’m interested in making it four.”

“I’m not,” Andrew didn’t bother to correct his misconception about their relationship, more focused on dropping his cigarette on the man’s shoe.

The man hissed under his breath and hurriedly stubbed out the cigarette under his foot, his grip tightening on the roof of the car. He grit his teeth, “C’mon, don’t be like that. You don’t even know what I have to offer-”

The man had reached into the window, his fingers hovering over Andrew’s arm, and Kevin’s was between them in an instant. A loud snarl ripped through the air as Kevin snapped a warning bite at the guy’s throat, close enough for him to feel Kevin’s breath on his skin. The man flinched back hard, hands immediately raising in surrender.

“Leash your _dog,_ dude!” He walked away from them quickly, his eyes wide. His hand covered his throat either protectively or in shock of what had just happened and he was muttering to himself, “God...What the _fuck?”_

It was quiet for a few moments as they watched him leave, only the sounds of Kevin’s slightly heavier breathing filling the space. The man disappeared. Neil shut the trunk. Then, Andrew’s voice, “Kevin.”

Kevin turned to him.

“Get in the back.”

Kevin only hesitated for a moment before complying, opening the door to the backseat.

“And don’t ever,” Kevin turned back to face Andrew, “Do that again.”

Kevin’s eyebrows furrowed, “But-”

“No,” Andrew’s face was impassive, his tone almost flippant, but that word was serious, “I can handle that shit myself. I was handling it myself. I don’t need you stepping in for me like I’m some damsel in distress.”

“I wasn’t-”

The look Andrew sent Kevin could have put Medusa to shame. Kevin lowered his gaze to avoid being turned to stone, “It won’t happen again.”

Andrew nodded and started the car. Neil scrambled into the passenger seat before Andrew decided to leave him in the parking lot. It would be a long drive home. 

At least they got food. 

\--

“What do you know about Jeremy Knox?”

Neil paused Iron Man 3 on a particularly unflattering close-up of Tony Stark’s face. Andrew leaned his hips against the armchair facing the couch Kevin and Neil were seated on, legs tangled together under a blanket, backs to each armrest. It was clear Andrew was addressing Kevin with this seemingly random line of questioning, so Neil waited.

“Uh…” Kevin blinked, “He’s a South Californian pack leader with ties all across the states, his pack is composed of his friends and fellow students at their university, and most people have only good things to say about him.”

Neil snorted, “Did he pass?”

“Funny,” Andrew didn’t even spare Neil a glance to accompany his response. He continued on to Kevin, “Good. He’s your new pack leader.”

“He’s-... _what?”_ Kevin startled, jostling Neil’s legs under the blanket. 

Neil froze, surprised as well. He had completely forgotten they were even looking for a pack to take Kevin in. He had just gotten so used to him being here, sleeping on their couch, sometimes in his bed, eating their food, shedding on their furniture...But that’s right. He was here for their unstable protection until they could find something better for him. Something _safer._

“You heard me. You’re leaving tomorrow.”

Neil sat up, folding his legs cross-legged beneath him, “Is that who you were meeting with yesterday?”

Andrew nodded once, arms folded.

Kevin looked between them, mouth still open in shock, “Wh-...Am I the only one who wasn’t aware of this?”

“You _were_ aware, Kev. I mean, I just found out about the meeting yesterday, but...You knew we were looking for a pack for you,” Neil reached out to touch Kevin’s arm, but Kevin jerked away from his hand like it would burn him.

“I don’t _want_ a new pack!” He looked at them, eyes desperate, “ _You’re_ my pack.”

Neil’s hand curled back into himself, mouth dropping down to form an aborted _oh._ Even Andrew looked surprised, his eyebrows rising fractionally, before lowering again to narrow his eyes. He leaned forward just slightly, “We’re not wolves.”

“Don’t you think I _know_ that?” Kevin rubbed at his eyes, “God...That one can’t let me forget it.”

Neil tried not to take offense when Kevin gestured to him, “Then...why..?”

“I don’t know!” Kevin threw his hands in the air, revealing red-rimmed eyes. “Okay? I didn’t mean for it to happen, but...You can’t make me leave. I don’t want anyone else.”

It made Neil’s chest clench to hear those words, but he wasn’t sure why, “But, Kev...You need to be with your own kind.”

“Why? Because you don’t want to take care of me anymore?” Kevin’s voice was steadily rising in volume and emotion, tidal waves of fear and hurt ebbing and flowing, but unable to be contained by something as faraway as the moon, “When I get too difficult, you just, what? Send me away?”

Neil saw Andrew’s jaw clench out of the corner of his eye. Neil swallowed, “No, Kev, we’re not sending you away. They can _teach_ you things. Things we aren’t able to teach you.”

“But I learned how to control my scent _by myself!”_

“What about your aggression?” Andrew spoke up, chin tilted upwards, “Your territorialism, sex pheromones, mating rituals, wolf tradtions, plus whatever else our outsider knowledge barely scratches the surface of.”

“ _Exactly,_ Kevin. You have the chance to learn about your culture, spend time with your community, you can shift with other wolves!”

“It’s not _my_ culture!” Kevin growled, standing up in a flash, “I didn’t _ask_ for any of this.”

A wooded area flashed through Neil’s mind. Kevin stumbling into the clearing, woozy and bleeding. A gory mark of teeth marring his flesh. A house in the distance. Hope. A father answering the door. 

_Who turned you?_

_I don’t want to talk about it._

“Right,” Neil nodded slowly, “Which is why we found this pack for you. They can protect you, Kev. So nothing like that can happen again.”

“ _You_ guys are protecting me,” Kevin met both their eyes in quick succession and seemed dissatisfied with what he found there, “I don’t _need_ their protection, I don’t _know_ them, I don’t _want_ them. What part of this are you two struggling to understand?”

“The part where you think staying with a half vampire and a human is going to protect you from the angry pack of werewolves that wants you back,” Andrew stood up straighter with Kevin now up, no longer leaning on the chair. Still relaxed, but ready to intervene should Kevin require him to. 

_Pack of werewolves?_ Neil had just assumed some rabid lone wolf had bit Kevin. For it to be a whole pack...He was in more danger than he initially thought. 

“It’s safer than going across the country to live with a pack of wolves that I don’t know, who’ll rip me to shreds the moment you’re out of sight!”

“I talked with Knox and people I know who’ve worked with him. I’ve deemed him not a threat.”

“That’s-” Kevin ran a hand through his hair, stumbling over his words for a second, and that’s when the tears started to come, “That’s not what this is about, I-...Just-...”

Neil sprang to his feet when Kevin’s knees hit the ground, eyes wide. 

“Did I do something wrong? Is it because I made Neil pass out? I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to, and I fixed it, I swear I did, I-”

“Kev, what-”

“I’ll do anything you want me to, I won’t shift on the furniture, I won’t eat all the leftovers, I won’t leave the house in the middle of the night, just pl-” Kevin bit his lip, shaking. His hands were braced between his thighs, head tilted to the right, exposing his throat to the two men in a gesture that meant nothing to Neil, but seemed to mean a lot to Andrew, based on the way his eyes tracked the movement, rapt, “You can’t kick me out. _Alphas,_ don’t make me go, you _can’t.”_

_Alphas?_ Neil remembered Aaron referring to Andrew that way to Kevin, but _plural?_

Neil was a moment too slow in recognizing Kevin’s panic attack. By the time he realized, Andrew already had his hand firmly gripped on the back of Kevin’s neck, applying calming pressure all too familiar to Neil. Neil hurried to kneel in front of Kevin's trembling form, grabbing his hands gently. Together, they managed to calm Kevin’s tears down to a quiet hiccuping. 

“Kevin,” Andrew waited until Kevin’s watery eyes met his, then continued, “This is not a punishment. We’re doing this _for_ you.”

“But-”

Andrew looked at him. Kevin lowered his eyes to the floor, sniffling. Andrew continued.

“This wasn’t meant to be so sudden for you,” Neil caught what was unspoken there. _We thought you’d be anticipating this. We didn’t realize you’d become so comfortable here. So attached. We didn’t realize we had,_ “Knox is picking you up tomorrow afternoon to take you to the airport.”

“Alph-”

“You’ll stay a month,” Andrew’s voice was firm, his tone unwavering, “You’ll learn everything they can teach you. If, after that time, you still feel you’d rather live here, we’ll reassess.”

Neil could see the air swoop out of Kevin’s lungs. Could see him struggle to pull it back in. Could see his hands clench in his lap and his throat bob as he swallowed, thinking through his options. Eventually, he nodded. His voice was soft when he answered, a bit hoarse from crying, “Okay.”

\--

Watching Kevin get into that car with Jeremy was the hardest thing he had done in awhile. Jeremy had shook their hands, smiled a hundred watt grin at them, and promised to take good care of him, but none of it had soothed the ache in Neil’s chest. It felt like something was compressing his heart, closing around his ribs harder and harder until he could barely breathe. 

Neil couldn’t get the way Kevin had _looked_ at them out of his head either. Well, looked at them wasn’t really accurate. Since last night, Kevin seemed to be avoiding making direct eye contact with them at all. But the way he had _looked._ The dark circles under his eyes, the way he slumped in his seat, the limp way he shook Jeremy’s hand. It was as if he had given up. Neil felt like he was watching a flower, something so fragile and precious entrusted to him, wilt in front of his eyes, all the while pointing at him and screaming _your fault!_

Neil folded his legs under him on the couch, picking at a loose thread on his sock. The pressure on his chest hadn’t gone away and the pain was getting so strong that tears pricked at his eyes. He sniffed and wiped his wrist under his nose, his shoulders hunching in on themselves. The couch dipped beside him and Neil glanced over to find Andrew’s concerned eyes on him. He nodded when Andrew’s hand lifted towards his cheek and leaned into the touch when Andrew found tears there to brush away.

“Did we-...” Neil wrapped the thread around his finger, watching as the skin started to purple, “I mean...was it the right thing to make him go?”

Andrew eased Neil’s hand away from his sock and responded without hesitance, “Yes. He still has things to learn.”

“But what if-”

“And if he still wants us to protect him instead of that pack, we’re going to find a way to protect him _better_ than that pack.”

Neil met Andrew’s eyes and found them alight with the same determination Neil felt in his own. He smiled, his tears forgotten, “Yeah.”


End file.
